Shivling Peak

Height

6543 mts

District

Uttarkashi

Situated in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, the majestic Shivling peak has been called ‘Matterhorn of Himalayas’ due to its resemblance to the famed Alpine peak in Swiss Alps. Its name refers to the sacred symbol of Lord Shiva – Shiva Linga. While the peak itself is not known for its elevation, the difficulty it poses for climbers to ascent its summit makes it one of the yearned peaks in Garhwal Himalayas. It lies in the Gangotri group of peaks.

HISTORY

After doing a reconnaissance of Shivling in 1938, Shivling was first climbed in 1974 via the west ridge, by a team from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, led by Hukam Singh.

Since the first ascent, at least ten other routes have been discovered through the peak, ascending all major ridges and most major faces of the mountain.

CLIMBING ROUTES

West ridge

North face

HOW TO REACH

The trekkers must first reach Rishikesh. From there the route to Shivling is as follows: Rishikesh – Uttarkashi – Gangotri – Bhojwassa – Gomukh – Tapovan. Tapovan acts as a base camp for Shivling peak climbing expeditions in the Garhwal Himalayas.

ROAD: Rishikesh has good connectivity of buses from Delhi. One can get a bus from Dehradun as well. The bus service is available all day with buses leaving every half an hour.

RAIL: Haridwar Railway Station is situated at a distance of about 20 km from the Rishikesh. Major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Ujjain and Indore are connected by regular as well as frequent train services from the main city.

AIR: Jolly Grant situated in Dehradun which is well connected with major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore etc. Dehradun is 45 km from Rishikesh.